Font-Pré, the first eco-neighbourhood with a 3A BiodiverCity® label rating in the world!

Font-Pré, the first eco-neighbourhood with a 3A BiodiverCity® label rating in the world!

ELAN, a Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France subsidiary, and Bouygues Immobilier were awarded the BiodiverCity® label, with “A” ratings in three out of the four possible areas for the new eco-neighbourhood in Font-Pré, Toulon. The property development operation is the first eco-neighbourhood to have reached such an exceptional level in the consideration given to biodiversity. As a founding member of the IBPC, Bouygues Construction supported the creation of the BiodiverCity® label, the first international label for the consideration given to biodiversity in property-development construction and renovation projects.

Font-Pré — a pioneering property development operation!

The BiodiverCity® label is a recognition of high standards, meaning that this eco-neighbourhood project will have a significant impact on the area of biodiversity. Diverse subjects came up as part of the Font-Pré project, such as evaluating the impact of windows on birds, making fences accessible for small local fauna, creating a citrus fruit garden for residents, putting in place raised vegetable gardens for older people, and open-access sports area in green spaces, etc.

The pioneering nature of the operation has been furthered by the signature of a five-year partnership agreement for nature management and monitoring with the local branch of the Bird Protection League, covering the design, construction, and operation phases.

An original feature of this project is urban renewal through a voluntary environmental (eco-neighbourhood label) landscape (10,000 m² green spaces, more than a third of the area acquired for the project) programme.

3A BiodiverCity® label

Having been awarded the 3A label, the Font-Pré project is now the first operation to have obtained such an exceptionally high level for the consideration given to biodiversity as part of a property development operation.

The label is awarded by The International Biodiversity and Property Council (IBPC), an association representing several stakeholders. The aim of the label is to promote best practices in terms of urban biodiversity during planning, design, and construction phases, in France and throughout the world.

Similar to an energy rating label, the BiodiverCity® label evaluates and demonstrates the ecological performance of buildings based on four main areas that influence a project's impact on biodiversity. The first, for example, concerns commitment to biodiversity and familiarity with the subject. The second concerns the building's architecture, and the features put in place for an eco-friendly design. The third area concerns evaluating the benefits, in other words, the biological potential created or maintained on the land, while the fourth area concerns user benefits.

Sustainable construction is one Bouygues Construction's principal strategic areas for development. The Group is contributing to the creation of ecological continuity for the improvement of residents' quality of life. The Group is doing this by being evermore attentive in its property development operations to returning biodiversity to areas that have become very mineralised.

There is an increasing expectation amongst city dwellers for more nature in the city, in built-up areas, and also on balconies, terraces, and roofs. To meet this wish, property development professionals need new skills and new tools. This is why Bouygues Construction decided to support the creation of the new BiodiverCity® label, which is specifically for evaluating biodiversity and making it a key consideration in property development operations. In the long-term, it will contribute to concrete added value created by biodiversity in property-development projects, just as energy rating labels did.